Pump rod spacer and turner



C. E. VAN STONE PUMP ROD SPACER AND TURNER April 12, "1938.

Filed April 21, 1937 Patented Apr. 12, 1938 UNITED STATES PUMP ROD SPACER AND TURNER Clifford E. Van Stone, Taft, Califi, assignor of twelve and one-half percent to Donald U.

Shaffer, Pico, Calif.,

twenty-five percent to Murray Chancellor, Taft, Calif., and twelve and one-half percent to Bruce Stanford, Le

Habra, Calif.

Application April 21, 1937, Serial No. 138,182

15 Claims.

This invention is broadly a connector for use in attaching a well pump polish rod to an operating structure, such for instance as the working beamof a deep well pump.

More especially the invention is a pump rod adjuster and valve spacer.

Deep well pumps commonly involve a standing valve and a working valve and it is very often necessary or desirable to change the distal relation of the valves, and it has been proposed to accomplish this change by axial shift of the polish rod as to the operating pump beam.

An object of the present invention is to provide an extremely simple, very substantial and highly effective connector of this class which is characterized by ease of adjustment to readily provide for the desired relational change of the spatial distance between the valves. A further object is to provide for an angular adjustment of the polish rod, and its suspended associated pump parts so as to vary the working zones of contact from time to time to distribute the wear of the engaging surfaces.

An additional object of the invention is to provide for the positive and ready angular adjustment of the rod and its pendant parts and to provide for the locking of the rod adjusting means as to a main body element of the connector.

Also an object of the invention is to provide a highly efficient means to secure the attachment of the sucker rod to the connector for the loads and stresses of use in pumping.

The invention consists in certain advancements in this art as set forth in the ensuing disclosure and having, with the above, additional objects and advantages as hereinafter developed, and whose construction, combination and details of means, and the manner of operation will be made manifest in the description of the herewith illustrative embodiment; it being understood that modifications, variations and adaptations may be resorted to within the scope, principle and spirit of the invention as it is more directly claimed hereinbelow.

Figure l is a sectional elevation of the connector as applied to a polish rod of a pump. Figure 2 is a sectional detail of a locking bolt of the assembly. Figure 3 is plan of a bolt engaging ring forming a spline of the connector parts.

Pump beams have divers types of links 2 for attachment of the pump polish rod 3 by one form or another of connecting units.

In the instant case the links 2 are engaged under heavy hooks 5 projecting from opposite sides of a main connecting body element 6; the

head being provided with stop latches I, or other suitable means, to prevent accidental dislodgment of the links from the body 6.

Concentrically swivelled in the head or body 6 is a barrel 8 having a top rim 9 seating on an anti-friction ball bearing 10 in the body; this being of generally cylindrical form. The barrel 8 has a reduced, flat-sided portion 8 extending below the bottom of the body 6 to removably receive a transverse handle H which is held in place by a nut l2 screwed onto the externally threaded end of the barrel 8.

The body 6 is provided with means whereby it may be locked to the barrel 8 against relative rotation except for intentional adjustment of the barrel in the body 6. As here shown the body 6 is provided with a lateral or radial pocket l3 having transverse mouth slots l4 and opening to the body bore in which the barrel 8 is turnable. Fig. 2 shows a bolt of one type in detail as working in and passing through a bearing ring l6 against which rests an expansion spring I! reacting against a shoulder of the bolt l 5 so that this is normally pressed inward and is stopped by its cross pin 15* engaging in slots I4 of the radial pocket in which the bolt [5 is reciprocable, as later set forth. A bolt l5 of this type is operative in the pocket l3, Fig. 1, and its inner end interlocks in a bolt hole 8 in the rotative barrel. When the barrel is to be turnably released the bolt [5 is pulled outward so that its cross-pin I 5* may be turned out of register with the slots I4 and then rested on the rim of the pocket mouth, as shown in Fig. l, with the inner end of the bolt clear of the barrel 8.

The bore of the barrel 8 is provided with screw threads 8 and these are engaged by means provided to rigidly, axially hold the usual polish rod 3 to the lower end of which the pump rod string (not shown) is connected. The rod holding 'means includes an elongate sleeve [8 screwing into the threads 8 of the barrel, its ends extending beyond the barrel. The rod 3 slidably fits in the bore of the sleeve l8 and means are provided to securely clamp the rod 3 at the desired place in the sleeve. The clamp device includes duplicate chuck thimbles 20 each having a cylindrical bore and being threaded at 23 on the ends of the sleeve 18.

Slidably mounted in each thimble 2B is a pair of cylindrical bushings 2| each conically bored complementally to and receiving a chuck skein 24 having endwise converging portions fitting in the respective bushings 2| and being longitudinally slotted inwardly from each end. When the thimble 20 is screwed well onto the near end of the sleeve N3 the ends of the pair of bushings 2 I, therein, will abut, one against the. near end of the sleeve I 8 and the other against an internal shoulder 20 in the thimble 20 with the result that the slotted skein will be positively contracted, by the bushings 2|, onto and clamp the polish rod 3 so that it is carried by the screw sleeve l8 and may be raised or lowered, or rotated thereby at will. The slots 22 of the skein extend past each other to give desired flexure.

Means are provided to positively rotatively interlock the rod carrying screw sleeve I8 to the main body 6 to insure the feeding of the screw sleeve up, or down, to raise or lower the rod 3 as desired. This means includes the spring-set latch bolt 15 Fig. 2, mounted in the upper end of the body 6, and whose inner end engages in one or another of notches 26 provided in the rim of a dog-ring 21 which is sunk in the top end of the body 6 and retained between the upper end of the barrel 8 and a flush plate 28 fastened in the top of the body 6, as by screws 29. The dogring 21 surrounds the sleeve loosely and has an internal dog or spline 21*, Fig. 3, slidably fitting in a longitudinal key-way [8 in the sleeve l8.

If it is desired to angularly adjust, or turn, the polish rod 3 and its suspended pump parts in a well it is only necessary to draw the bolt l5 from looking engagement with the barrel 8, in bolt hole 8*, and turn the bolt IE to carry its cross-pin l5 away from its pocket slot M, Fig. 1, so that the bolt may rest in open position. At the same time the upper bolt l5 is similarly drawn to release the dog-ring 2'! and turned to open-rest position. It is now possible to turn the lever II and by it the threaded barrel 8 and the friction of the rod loaded sleeve l8 on the threads 8 of the barrel will cause the sleeve 18, with the sucker rod string, to be turned with and by the rotated barrel 8. Therefore, the rod and its attached pump parts will have been angularly shifted on or as to bearing surfaces engaged thereby. Following this adjustment the bolts l5-l5 are tripped to spring into normal looking relation with parts 8 and 21, respectively to prevent undesired rotation of the rod clamping sleeve as to the connector body 6.

To effect a longitudinal shift of the sleeve I8 without releasing the rod 3 in the chucks 2f] it is only necessary to draw the bolt l5 and turn it to open rest position of its pin l5 thus unlocking the barrel 8. The barrel is now rotated by the hand lever II while the dog-ring 21 is still bolted at 15 to the body 6 with the result that the threads 8 react to raise or to lower sleeve 18, according to the direction of rotation.

When the desired axial shift of the rod 3 is completed by action of the barrel on the screw sleeve, the bolt I5 is again tripped to engage and lock the dog-ring 27 to the body '6.

Angular adjustment or longitudinal shift of the sleeve [8 and its clamped rod 3 may be accomplished at will without it being necessary to stop the pump action or break down the connector in any way. The operation of the lever I l is preferably timed on the down stroke of the pump rod apparatus, that is, following the lifting or load stroke since the friction of the threads of the sleeve I8 is then much reduced below the lifiting friction.

This application is a continuation in part of my Patent 2,087,174 of July 13, 1937.

What is claimed is 1, A pump rod hanger including a sleeve to receive and hold the rod, a barrel in which the sleeve is turnably threaded, a body in which the barrel is turnably supported, and means interlocking the sleeve and the barrel to the body against rotation.

2. A hanger as set forth in claim 1; and in which said means provides for releasing either the barrel or the sleeve for relative rotation as to the body.

3. A hanger as set forth in claim 1; and in which said means provides for releasing both the sleeve and the barrel for rotation as to the body.

4. A hanger as set forth in claim 1, and said means including locking devices for selectively locking the barrel or the sleeve to the body.

5. A pump rod hanger including a rotative rod holding sleeve, a body, means for splining the sleeve and the body for relative, axial shift, and means rotatively supported on the body and threaded on and for axially shifting the splined sleeve and latch means to interlock the last named means tothe body.

6. A pump rod hanger including a rotative rod holding sleeve, a body, means for splining the sleeve and the body for relative, axial shift, means rotative in the body and threaded on and for axially shifting the sleeve, and means for releasing the splining means to provide for rotation of the sleeve in the body and a latch for connecting the rotary means and the body.

7. A pump rod hanger including a rod holding sleeve, a body, means for splining the sleeve and the body for relative axial shift, rotative means in the body for shifting the sleeve axially and a device operative independently of said rotative means to interlock it with the body, and means for releasing the spline means to provide for rotation of the sleeve in the body when the shifting means is rotated.

8. A pump rod hanger including a rod clampaxially shifting the carrier in the body while splined thereto and a bolting element to connect and disconnect the rotary means and the body.

10. A hanger as set forth in claim 9, and in which said rotary means is operative to turn the carrier in the body when released by said device.

11. A pump rod hanger including a rod clamping sleeve, a body, a readily releasable, spring-set spline means connecting the sleeve and the body, and means rotative in the body to axially shift the sleeve while it is splined and to angularly adjust the sleeve when it is released from spline control.

12. A hanger as set forth in claim 11, and having retractive means for locking the rotative means to the body.

13. A pump rod hanger including a rod carrying sleeve, a body, a barrel turnably mounted in the body, means to lock the barrel against rotation in the body, means for releasably splining the sleeve to the body; the sleeve being threaded in the barrel to be shifted thereby or turned therewith.

14. A pump rod connector including a body member having means for connection of pump beam links, a barrel turnable in said member and lockable therewith, and a rod clamping carrier turnable with the barrel or axially shiftable therein, at will.

15. In a pump rod hanger, a sleeve in which the rod is slidably received, and means on an end of the sleeve for clamping the rod, and including a slotted, tapered-end rod-fitting skein, bushings with conical bores fitting the skein, and. thimble means threaded on the sleeve and fitting and for telescoping the bushings on the ends of the skein to clamp it on the rod.

CLIFFORD E. VAN STONE. 

